Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-03-18
RlDDLEBERGER REDlVIVUS.

Washington Chronicle, Feb. 27th, 1881
If the ex.confed old boys OF the
South or the "butternut" old boys
of the North think they can squelch
Senator Harry Riddleberger of Vir.
gina with one of their hot and
noxiOus Simeon breaths of scorn
and contempt, they will find as
they have fOuud-their melancholy
mistake. On the natal day of the
pater familias of his country, the
lively young Virginia Senator
awoke the snakes at the somnolent
end of the Capitol in a manner
thus described in a Washington
special:
"Senator Riddleberger raised
something of a breeze in the Sen
ate today offering a resolution ask
ing that all the papers in the Mat
thews case should be published. 1t
NAV be remembered that the in
junction of secrecy was removed III
this case some time ago. In sup
port of this resolution Mr.. Riddle.
berger said that the case had never
been fairly presented to the public,
and that the motives Of Senators
in opposing the confirmation OF
Matthews had been misrepresenoed
for political purpose. For one he
did not choose to be the subject OF
further misrepresentation Of that
sort. He had opposed the confir'
nation of Matthews on two
grounds. One was that the Re
corder of Deeds in the District OF
Columbia should be selected from
among the residents of the District
His second ground.Of objection was
that charges had been filed against
Matthews which, so far as he knew,
had never been refuted. They
we're in effect that Matthews had
gone among men, white men and
colored men, employed on a pub
lie building in Albany, and had
threatened them with discharge
unless they should vote the Demo
cratic ticket. Mr.. Riddleberger
SAID that he would never vote to
confirm any man, Republican or
| Democrat, against whom such
charges could be truthfully made.
Mr.. Riddleberger spoke with
great earnestness. Senator Harris
replied with great fervor. He de-
cared that the charges against
Matthews had been investigated
by himself and Senator ingalls,
and had been found without foun'
dation, and that the evidence taken
by them had been laid in manu-
script on the desk OF the Senator
from Virginia. In reply Mr.. Rid
dleberger declared that he had
never seen any such evidence, and
furthermore, that he had asked
Senator Ingalls, about the testimony
and had beeninformed that the ties
timony of witnesses had not been
taken down at the time it was
given.
Mr.. Riddleberger also remarked
that at the first meeting of the
District Committee, at which the
Matthews nomination was consider
ed. Senator Harris had opposed
the confirmation that at suDse-
quent meeting, Senator Harris had
favored confirmation. OF course
he knew nothing of the reasons OF
this change of heart, because the
Senator had never deigned to In
form the committee what had eff
iected it. Mr.. RddlebergeI also
criticised severely the publication,
by authority of the President, OF
the letter which accompanied the
nomination of Matthews the sec
ond time, and intimated that the
publication of that letter, as we'll
as subsequent publications IN "a
portion OF the press" were designed
for political effect.
Senator Harris became warm by
| this time, and repeated his declara'
ton that the testimony taken by
himself and Senator Ilgalls had
been written out and LAID on Mr..
RiddIeberger's desk, and that if
Mr.. Riddleberger had ever been in.
formed that the testimony was not
taken down when it was gwen, he
had been informed of that which
was absolutely false Mr.. Riddle.
berger's resolution was adopted.